Increased satellite signal sensitivity in signal reception equipment has diminished the requisite size of antenna dishes to presently a mere eighteen inches in diameter. The steel poles planted in a concrete foundation required for seven-foot antenna dishes and the buried cables of yesterday are now obsolete. Because a smaller antenna profile translates into reduced wind and load stress, satellite antennae can now be mounted directly to a wall or roof of a typical residence.
It is important, however, that a satellite dish, whatever its size, have an unobstructed view of the sky in the direction of the location of a broadcasting satellite. In many areas of the globe, for example the United States, a satellite dish must presently have an unobstructed view to a southerly direction. To achieve this unobstructed southern exposure, the manufacturers' mounting recommendations for these small satellite dish systems are limited to three choices: strapped to a chimney; mounted on top of a pitched roof; or positioned adjacent the southern wall of a building. In any of these three positions, the building does not obstruct the reception of the satellite dish.
When the satellite antenna is mounted to a chimney, the appearance is unbecoming. The antenna generally juts out awkwardly and is exposed to soot and possibly intense heat. Additionally, many residential buildings do not have chimneys.
When the satellite antenna is mounted directly to the roof of a building, mounting holes must be drilled through the roofing material to a roof rafter. This presents the challenge of locating a suitable rafter. Also, a rafter provides a limited anchoring surface providing only two mounting points to secure the satellite mount to the rafter. A rafter is inadequate because a tenuously secured antenna tends to sway in high winds and storms, causing a slow but certain breakdown of the roof material under the antenna's base. Furthermore, the roofing material's capability to keep out the weather is compromised because the drilled holes promote roofing material deterioration and eventually can cause a leaking roof.
Of the three manufacturer recommended options, the preferable location for a satellite antenna is positioned adjacent the southern wall of the building. However, in warmer climates, the southern wall of a building is preferably protected from direct sunlight by trees and shrubbery. Because an antenna must face a southerly exposure, an unobstructed view towards the satellite is typically defeated by the trees and shrubbery.
In view of the foregoing problems with the manufacturer mountings recommendations, the most logical choice for mounting a small satellite dish is to the eave of the building. The eave is elevated, and would permit the orientation of the dish over the roof of the building toward the southern sky. Unfortunately, a problem arises due to the inherent structural weakness of a typical household eave. Even the manufacturers of the small dish satellite antennae specifically advise users to avoid mounting the antenna on the eave of a house because of the eave's lack of rigidity. If the deficient rigidity could be overcome, an eave would be an ideal location because it allows an installer to avoid mounting the antenna to the chimney, directly to the roof, or on the obstructed southern wall of the building. The eave would provide almost any side of the building for unobstructed signal reception while simultaneously better blending the antenna with the building's profile.